Nana Wu
In a market currently dominated by the massive hunger of AI hyperscalers for high-end NAND flash, external storage manufacturers are being forced to pivot. As cutting-edge storage components become increasingly difficult to source and more expensive to acquire, the industry is shifting its focus away from raw speed benchmarks and toward value-added features. We have recently seen this trend manifest in products like the Sharge Disk Pro, with its integrated hub, and Orico’s Book Drive P10 Plus, which prioritizes 100W passthrough charging and MagSafe compatibility.
Adata is the latest to join this movement with the introduction of the Urban Tapsafe. By integrating NFC-based authentication and a unique multi-user sharing architecture, Adata is targeting a specific segment of the market that prioritizes controlled access and physical utility over sheer performance.
Main Facts: A New Approach to Portable Security
The Adata Urban Tapsafe is a compact external SSD, roughly the size of a standard lighter at 2.70 x 1.42 x 0.76 inches. While its 20 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2×2) interface provides performance that is generally sufficient for mainstream professional workflows, the drive’s primary value proposition lies in its physical and software-based security features.
The device features a durable metal chassis equipped with a robust, silicone-padded clip, making it ideal for attaching to pockets, bags, or video rigs. Beyond the hardware, the "Tapsafe" moniker refers to its integration with the Urban Tapsafe app for iOS and Android. This application allows users to lock and unlock the drive via NFC (Near Field Communication), effectively ensuring that the drive remains invisible to any host system until authorized by the owner’s smartphone.
Perhaps most notably, the drive supports a multi-user environment. A primary user can grant access to up to nine additional individuals, with the ability to toggle between read-only or read-and-write permissions. This makes it a highly specialized tool for collaborative creative teams or family environments where sensitive data needs to be shared securely without handing over administrative control.
Chronology of the Testing Process
Our evaluation of the Urban Tapsafe took place on our newly upgraded 2025 external storage testbed, centered on an AMD Ryzen 7600X processor and an Asus ROG Crosshair X870E motherboard. This system was specifically selected for its native USB4 support, ensuring that interface bottlenecks would not impede our analysis.
Initial testing, however, was far from straightforward. Out of the box, the unit exhibited inconsistent performance, with read speeds occasionally dipping below 1,000 MB/s—a significant deviation from the expected performance of a 20 Gbps drive.
- Phase 1 (Out-of-Box): Inconsistent read/write behavior, often failing to reach the manufacturer’s rated speeds regardless of the cable or port used.
- Phase 2 (Troubleshooting): After confirming that the testbed was performing correctly with other hardware, we performed a full secure erase via Windows DiskPart and re-partitioned the drive.
- Phase 3 (Validation): Following the clean reformat, the drive’s behavior stabilized significantly, consistently meeting its sequential read and write ratings in subsequent synthetic and real-world benchmarks.
Supporting Data: How It Performs
When comparing the Urban Tapsafe against industry stalwarts like the Crucial X10 and the Team Group PD20, the performance profile becomes clear.
PCMark 10 Storage Benchmark
In the trace-based PCMark 10 benchmark, the Tapsafe lagged behind, finishing in the bottom tier of our current database. It was outperformed by 10 Gbps alternatives like the Crucial X9 Pro and the Sharge Disk Pro. While it is not "slow" by general consumer standards, it is not optimized for high-load application usage or as a primary bootable drive.
Transfer Rates (DiskBench)
The drive’s performance improved in real-world file transfer scenarios. It achieved a respectable 897 MB/s in read speeds, landing squarely in the middle of the pack. Its write performance was particularly impressive, besting almost every other drive in our current testing pool, with the exception of the much more expensive 40 Gbps Corsair external SSD.
Small File Performance
Small-file IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) remain a weak point for the Tapsafe. The drive trailed its competitors significantly in this metric. Users intending to run complex software packages or VMs directly from the drive may find the latency unacceptable compared to faster, more expensive alternatives.
Sustained Write Performance (Iometer)
In our 15-minute sustained write test, the drive maintained a steady 1,800–1,900 MB/s for the first five minutes. Once the SLC cache was saturated, it dropped to 250 MB/s, and eventually settled below 70 MB/s. While this decline is steep, it is worth noting that it actually outperformed the competing Team Group PD20, which experienced a more rapid drop-off.
The Reality of NFC Security
It is essential to clarify exactly what the Tapsafe is and what it is not. The drive does not utilize hardware-level AES encryption to protect the data stored on the flash modules. Instead, it utilizes a "software gatekeeper" approach.
Without the app and the proper NFC handshake, the drive is not recognized by the host OS. While this provides a high level of convenience for daily security and prevents unauthorized access by casual users, a sophisticated attacker with the ability to physically disassemble the enclosure and bypass the controller could potentially access the underlying data.
For the average professional looking to keep personal files away from prying eyes or prevent accidental data loss in a collaborative office, this level of security is more than adequate. However, for those with high-security requirements, this drive should be viewed as a convenience tool rather than a hardened security vault.
Market Implications and Competitive Landscape
The current economic climate for storage is challenging. AI-driven demand for NAND flash has driven prices up across the board, and the Urban Tapsafe faces stiff competition.
At the time of writing, the 2TB model we tested is priced significantly higher than faster, more conventional drives. For instance, the Team Group PD20, which is also a 20 Gbps drive, offers comparable real-world performance for a much lower price. The Crucial X10, widely considered a benchmark for reliability and performance in this class, is not only faster but also more affordable at the 2TB capacity.
Adata is essentially asking consumers to pay a "feature premium." The value of the Urban Tapsafe rests entirely on the user’s need for the NFC unlock feature and the physical utility of the clip.
Final Verdict: Who Is This For?
The Adata Urban Tapsafe is a niche product that succeeds in its specific goals. It is an excellent choice for:
- Collaborative Creators: Teams that need to pass a drive around a studio and ensure only specific members can write to it.
- Mobile Professionals: Users who want the peace of mind that comes with a drive that is "invisible" to a computer unless they tap their phone to it.
- Hardware Enthusiasts: Those who appreciate the modularity of the magnetic, swappable faceplates and the utility of a high-quality, silicone-grip metal clip.
If you are looking for the absolute fastest 20 Gbps drive on the market, you should look toward the Crucial X10. However, if your workflow is defined by collaboration, the need for quick, app-based security, and a physical design that can withstand the rigors of field production, the Urban Tapsafe is a unique, albeit expensive, addition to your toolkit.
Adata has successfully identified a gap in the market where convenience and "cool factor" outweigh raw throughput. While the price point may deter those looking for a pure value proposition, the Tapsafe brings a level of user-centric design that is largely missing from the utilitarian world of external SSDs.
Ammar Sabilarrohman
Neng Nana
